Lila Loa

Gingerbread Sleigh Tutorial and Template

I have always wanted to make some kind of crazy complicated gingerbread house with multiple floors and rooms that you can actually see into. I've been planning it for years. Little sugar crystal chandeliers and royal icing paintings on the walls. Wood grain on the stairs and snow drifting in perfect heaps on the rooftop and the white fencing surrounding a geometric little garden in the back. And it would be 4 feet tall and take over 2 months to make. And also, there would be a secret passageway. Because really, what is the point of building your own house if you don't get to have a secret passageway? My house right now has a secret bathroom, and I can tell you that it is NOT the same as a secret passageway. But, as it turns out, trading a passageway for a bathroom isn't as simple as it sounds. And neither is building a gingerbread house from hazy half-sleep imaginations.

So instead, I make little gingerbread sleighs. And I fill them with candy. And attach candy to them. And sometimes I give them away with even more candy. You can't really go wrong with candy at this time of year. Or any time of year, really. Especially if it is pretty candy. I like pretty candy. And delicious candy. (And suddenly, I'm rethinking my decision to hold off on breakfast until after I write this post.) Maybe I should just show you how to make these and then go eat some carrots or candy or maybe not the candy until after the carrots.

You can get the template by clicking HERE or by copying and pasting the image above into a word document. I set my margins at zero, make sure the paper is landscape and then paste the image. Or you can get a set of cutters HERE. Use a non spreading gingerbread or sugar cookie recipe to make each piece. Bake the pieces a minute or two longer to make sure they are firm and not soft. You can decorate them before you put them together, or put them together and let your kids help you decorate them with icing and... umm... more candy.

1. I like to decorate mine before putting them together. There are so many more options that way! I started out with red icing and a #3 tip. Make a swirl pattern along the top edge of both sides and the back/front of the sleigh.
2. Immediately cover with red sanding sugar and allow to dry before shaking off the excess sugar.
3. Use a #2 tip and thick gold colored icing to pipe criss-crossing lines across the bottom of the sides and front and back pieces. Let the lines dry for an hour and then paint with gold airbrush color. Give the airbrush color an hour to dry before moving on.
4. With 20 second white icing and a #3 tip, fill in the diamonds. Use a toothpick to keep the edges clean. Let it dry for a couple of hours or overnight.

1. Make sure all of your pieces are dry before attempting to construct the sleighs. Use very thick icing and a #3 tip.
2. Pipe a thick line of icing along the side of the bottom piece.
3. Push one side piece down on top of the icing line. Hold in place for 15-20 seconds.
4. Repeat with the other side piece.

5. Add icing to the sides and bottom of the front and back pieces and squish them into place. If your icing is thick enough, you can do both of them at the same time. Use your hands to hold your sleigh together for another 30 seconds.
6. You will be tempted to rush this part... but trust me... let the sleigh sit there for 20 minutes to get really solid.
7. Unwrap two candy canes. Or as many as you need to unwrap until you find two that aren't broken. Turn the sleigh upside down and pipe two parallel lines along the bottom of the sleigh near the edges. (It looks really cute with they are close together near the middle, but it makes the sleigh very unstable.)
8. Gently press the candy canes into the icing and let it dry for another 20 minutes before turning right side up and filling with beautiful pieces of Christmas beauty.

Are you going to make some gingerbread sleighs? Will you share your masterpieces with me on my Facebook Page? I simply love gingerbread creations!!

Georganne

The Cookie Artist

Georganne Bell is the mess maker and cookie decorator behind the cookie blog LilaLoa. Obsessed with color and texture, she has been experimenting and creating with cookies and icing since 2010. She also gives plenty of unsolicited advice and occasionally does laundry before it becomes strictly necessary.

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